Being hit in the head with a brick, repeatedly

Are we ever really too old to learn something new? Probably not, at least I would like to think that the lessons that life teaches us are renewable like our drivers licenses and Costco memberships.

Being honest and forthright about the experiences that life has taught is just a nice way of saying, "damn, I learned that lesson the hard way".

I once knew a guy who used to like to use the phrase " one mistake won't kill you but two is like being hit in the head with a brick, repeatedly"

He used that analogy to convey that the disappointment that a person experiences when they keep making the same mistake, is like the act of being hit in the head with brick after brick.

Well, I didn't say he was eloquent...

So, there is a lot of research about learning and our brains' ability to use what we have learned and I think all that research could be distilled into a few simple words:

Mistakes are good. Struggle makes you smarter.( or stronger)

When it comes to applying this lesson to our lives, the problem is not with the science, but rather with our powerful natural aversion to mistakes and struggle.

Try as we might to convince ourselves otherwise, mistakes feel shitty ; struggle feels shittier. Also, mistakes often carry a social price — they can cost us our job, relationships, our money, our pride. So we instinctively hide them.

When we hide our mistakes, or our lessons learned; often painful as they may have been, hiding what we feel only leads to feelings of guilt and shame. Really the worst of emotions on the emotion spectrum.

The question is, how to fix that? How do you overcome your natural mistake allergy?

Well one way is to put out there for the whole world to read and judge; like seriously wtf?

Nah, I'm not a masochist but I do like helping people feel better and supportive when the bricks come falling from the sky ( repeatedly) .

I teach meditation classes and I know that folks are looking for peace among the shards of crap that life tosses at us daily. And often the one thing people will say, is that mediation helps them overcome feelings of guilt, self loathing, grief, depression, anxiety and fear. And those are usually the same fall-out feelings that happen after we make a mistake.

Not all us are a complete masterpiece and I think most are still a work-in-progress. I know I am and I also freely admit that I have made a shit ton of mistakes in my life and from it many lessons learned. ( wow, see how I did that? used my blog title in the blog--not a mistake)

I invite you to join me on journey of radical honesty and fearlessness about loving yourself no matter what. I'm a credentialed mistake-manager with over 50 years experience and my specialty is sharing my lessons learned with humour, authenticity and love. I guarantee a few laughs at the Lessons I have Learned. ( see I did that again? so clever)